"Despite President Arafat's critical state of health, his condition has not reached a stage that is irreversible as some media have reported," Nabil Abu Rudeina was quoted by French RFI television as saying.

"We hope his condition will improve in the coming days," he added.

YNET, the website of the major Israeli daily Yediot Ahronoth, earlier quoted Palestinian sources as saying Arafat had partially emerged from a coma at the French Percy military hospital and was communicating with doctors.

The report has yet to be confirmed by Palestinian officials.

Since Thursday, conflicting reports over Arafat's health have ranged widely.

Some reports said Arafat was in a coma and in an "extremely bad state," while French medical sources expressed a more upbeat tone over the Palestinian leader's health.

Late on Friday, Christian Estripeau, spokesman for the French Defense Forces' medical service, said "Yasser Arafat's condition has not deteriorated (over the last 24 hours) and is considered stable."

The 75-year-old Arafat, who became severely ill 10 days ago at his West Bank residence in Ramallah, was airlifted to the Percy hospital southwest of Paris on Oct. 29.

Palestinian officials pronounced Friday evening that the medical team treating Arafat would be the only body authorized to comment on Arafat's condition.

The team's first official medical report on the Palestinian leader's condition released Tuesday ruled out leukemia or cancer but was unable to specify the cause of his "blood disorder."